AIDS kills 23 in Pokhara, 150 carry HIV

Pokhara, Aug. 23 (RSS): Twenty-three people have so far died of AIDS in Kaski district.

Blood tests carried out at public and private health institutions show that 150 persons are carrying the HIV virus.

This was disclosed at a bi-annual evaluation and project planning workshop of the HIV/AIDS control programme organised by the district AIDS coordination committee, the district public health office and the I.N.F. AIDS control programme, Pokhara.

The workshop has recommended the implementation of information and education-oriented programmes on AIDS control, production and distribution of posters and pamphlets, putting up hoardings in all the VDCs, exhibitions on video, street plays and training for media persons.

Likewise, recommendations were also received for giving emphasis to moral education, information-oriented programmes through the media, publicity at cinema halls, audio visual aids awareness programmes and integrated aid-related programmes.

Some 30 persons including representatives from the district AIDS coordination committee, NGOs, the I.N.F. and journalists took part in the workshop.

UNICEF provides fund to Siddhi hospital

Bhaktapur, Aug. 23 (RSS): United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has provided Rs 300,000 for the revolving fund of the Siddhi Memorial Women and Children’s Hospital at ward No. 7, Bhimsensthan of Bhaktapur Municipality.

Similarly, the UNICEF has provided Rs 40,000 for carrying out the daily activities of the hospital.

Resident representative of the UNICEF Stewart Macnab and Niranjan Nepal, general manager of the Bhaktapur Handicraft Industry run by the UNICEF at the Bhaktapur Industrial Estate, jointly handed over the amount to founder president of the hospital Shyam Sundar Dhaubadel at a programme organised at the hospital last Monday.

At the programme, president of the hospital board of trustees Shyam Sundar Dhaubadel said that he had set up the hospital in memory of his son Shyam Sundar Dhaubadel who died at the age of four in a road accident. He further said a revolving fund of Rs 20 million was needed to run the hospital regularly and in a systematic way.

UNICEF representative Mr. Macnab suggested that the hospital should be run by first putting in place all kinds of facilities and equipment rather than closing it in the middle.

He pledged every kind of future assistance to the hospital on behalf of the UNICEF.

General Manager of the Bhaktapur Handicraft Industry Niranjan Nepal said that the industry would give 20 per cent of its net profit from the export of the traditional Nepali hand-made paper and other handicraft products to the hospital regularly.

Miss Jackie Stephens, an Australian nurse who has been rendering volunteer services at the hospital, also expressed her view on the occasion.

The hospital has been providing health services to women and children through its out-patient department which was opened recently.

Sthapit stresses cooperation for KMC dev

Kathmandu, Aug. 23 (RSS): Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolis Keshav Sthapit initiated the ambulance service to be run by the Agrawal Service Centre at a function here today.

Mr. Madhu Sudan Agrawal had gifted the ambulance vehicle to the centre.

Also today Mayor Sthapit laid the foundation stone for the construction of a free water distribution project to be constructed under the joint collaboration of Kathmandu Metropolitan City ward No. 1 committee and the Agrawal Service Centre at local Kamalpokhari.

Under the project, water drawn by using a motor pump at a corner of Kamalpokhari would be stored in a tank and regularly distributed to the residents of the area in the morning and evening every day.

Speaking at a function organised on the occasion, mayor Sthapit underlined the need for active cooperation from all sectors in the capital’s development and construction.

He urged the centre to cooperate with the Municipality for the development of the area and the Kamalpokhari pond from which the area gets its name.

Industrialist and Agrawal Service Centre president Mohan Gopal Khetan said that the centre is committed for reforms in the religious and social realms as well as for the development of the area.

Former chief justice Mohan Prasad Sharma, Kathmandu Metropolitan City ward No. 1 chairman Yogendra Kumar Shrestha and Centre General Secretary Kishor Kumar Agrawal spoke on the importance of collaboration in social development.

Sub-inspector dies, 15 others injured severely

Janakpurdham, Aug. 23 (RSS): Police Sub-inspector Ichchha Bahadur Karki died on-the-spot and 15 others were injured when a truck (Ba. 1 Ga. 1545) belonging to armed police force, Bardibas heading towards Hetauda, collided with a taxi (Ba. 3 Cha 8622) today at Maisthan VDC-2 in Mahottari district.

Of those injured, Police Inspector Chet Kumar Shrestha, Police Sub-inspector Ram Prasad Subedi, Senior Police Constable Hemlal Kumal who are in critical condition have been taken to Kathmandu for treatment.

Others injured Ashok Sthapit, Siri Lochan Gurung and Santaram Shrestha who were travelling by taxi are undergoing treatment at the Janakpur Zonal Hospital.

Similarly, other policemen who sustained injuries are Ajaykumar Singh, Mukti Prasad Yadav, Rameshwar Tamang, Surendra Tamang, Shyam Bhandari, Santosh Kumar Shah, Prem Kumar Shrestha and Lila Bahadur Thapa.

Likewise, in Chautara, a parked passenger bus with registration number Na. 2 Kha.3562, plying on the Barhabise-Tatopani sector, was completely damaged after it was hit by a falling boulder and fell 200 metres down the road due to the impact at Rakhuwa of Gati Village Development Committee (VDC) at 8:30 am today.

Luckily, there were no passengers inside the bus, according to eyewitness Gauri Kafle, a local social worker.

Similarly, a landslide has completely damaged the Bhimsen Primary School building at ward No. 1 of local Marming VDC.

Meanwhile, police said mudslides at several places on the Barhabise-Kodari section of the Araniko Highway have made travel difficult for the local people.

Similarly, families which lost their homes in a landslide that occurred at ward No 6 of Lamamarang VDC have taken refuge at their neighbours’ homes. Eight houses were buried in a landslide at ward No. 6 of Lamamarang VDC.

About 50 ropanis of rice paddies and upland terraces at ward No. 6 and 7 of Lamamarang VDC were washed away by the swollen Talamarang river following incessant rains, according to VDC chairman Buddhi Bahadur Aryal.

UML’s 22-pt agenda for national consensus

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 23: At a time when the country’s political parties are trying to find solutions to address problems besetting the country, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), the second largest party in the parliament, has made public a 22-point proposal for national consensus, adopted by the party.

Unveiling the 22-point agenda of the party today at the Party’s office at Balkhu, General Secretary Madav Kumar Nepal said that the landless, kamaiyas and ethnic people have welcomed the land reform programme announced by the government. The UML has fully supported the government’s land reform programme.

He, however, accused the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Nepal Sadhvabana Party (NSP) of trying to create obstruction to the land reform programme.

RPP and NSP have been disrupting the on-going parliamentary session since the last several days against the proposed land reform programme of the government. Their major contention is the lowering of the ceiling on land-ownership. And to vent their anger against a new ceiling on land ownership, they are also demanding for ceiling on the personal property of the people.

But the UML chief further said that the election manifestoes of both the RPP and NSP have clearly mentioned that they are for reforming the existing patterns of land-ownership. Referring to the RPP’s manifesto, Nepal said it has stated that they revising the current land-ownership ceiling and giving the excess land of the landlords to those who do not have any.

On the Maoist issue, the UML General Secretary said that the government should seek for a national consensus among all the political parties to solve the Maoist problem.

The agenda include common consensus among all the political parties to solve the Maoist issue, on electoral reforms, fighting corruption and to push ahead with the land reform programme announced by the government.

Meanwhile, RSS adds the CPN-UML has demanded integrated enforcement of the report of the High Level Land Reform Commission (Badal Commission).

Speaking at a press conference organised here today, CPN-UML standing committee member and then president of the Commission Keshav Prasad Badal said the government should implement radical land reforms without giving into to pressure or threats from anybody.

Land reforms should not only be limited to land holdings but clear approaches should be adopted in terms of plotting, tennancy rights, agricultural roads, cooperatives and agro-industries, he added.

Responding to a query, Mr Badal made it clear that land and other kinds of property are not similar, and illegal property no matter who owns it should be seized and nationalised.

Secretary of the CPN-UML valley coordination Committee Krishna Gopal Shrestha disclosed that the committee would run programmes around the theme of enforcement of revolutionary land reforms and tillers as owners.

Information has been received about the selling and purchase of land at land tax offices through the expedient of writing in old dates even after the Prime Minister's announcement freesing all land transactions, Mr Shrestha said adding that raids will be carried out at such offices.

Coming from India, going door-to-door for alms in Dharan

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Dharan, Aug. 23: Local people of Dharan are getting confounded with the growing inflow of the beggars from India into Dharan. Most of the beggars have entered the district from its eastern and southern checkpoints. The beggars also come to Dharan via Kakarvitta and Biratnagar.

According to a businessman at Mahendrapath, the main thoroughfare of the city, he sees around 60-70 new beggars who speak Hindi visiting door-to-door daily these days.

"The increasing number of beggars is perplexing as they visit one shop after another throughout day," he says.

He also says the Nepali beggars are hardly seen in Dharan.

About 1,000 beggars from across the border had gathered at the religious fair at Pindeshwar of Dharan. They used to come in the previous years also mainly during the Bolman Fair in the month of Shrawan, but they would return back after the fair.

"But this year the beggars seem to be loitering around in the city. Everyday, between 30 to 40 beggars come to the homes for alms," says Hare Ram Karmacharya, a resident of Dharan Municipality Ward No. 3.

Karmacharya further says that the problem of Indian beggar in Dharan has been getting complicated year after year.

Local residents fear that Dharan may also become the victim of Indian vandals like in Mechinagar Municipality and Birtamod Bazaar of Jhapa district.

Shyam Pokhrel, resident of Dharan Municipality Ward No. 5, says, "Several Indian youths, who look fairly decent and also educated, are seen going to the Geeta temple during the day. And at night they are seen sleeping outside the temple."

Pokhrel also says that the local people of Dharan do not know those youths do during the day.

"If the concerned bodies do not show serious concerns about it, Dharan could turn into a place of vice and vandalism," locals say.